Sweet English cheddar and havarti blend together beautifully in our day 10 recipe topped with mini croutons and spicy sriracha.
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Using Cheese in mac and cheese
When you take a bite of cheese, I want you to pay attention to how long it takes for the flavor to come out. Sometimes it takes a few seconds to develop but the flavor holds on throughout the rest of the bite. These are what I call closer cheeses. Other cheese hits you immediately but fades away. These are opener cheeses.
Well-rounded mac and cheese makes use of both opener and closer flavors so the cheesy flavor carries throughout the entire bite.
Sweet English Cheddar
When this came out of the advent calendar, I was expecting it to be sweeter than it is. While it is more sweet than our standard cheddar, it’s not as sweet as the descriptor led me to believe. This cheese is an opener whose flavor hits you immediately and fades away while you’re eating it. Perfect for opening up a bowl of mac and cheese.
Aged Havarti
Most of my havarti experience is with less aged varieties. They are solidly in the opener realm. However, during a visit to the Alma cheese store, they gave us a sample of this Castello aged havarti. It’s creamy and melts beautifully and is packed with closer flavor. I couldn’t wait to turn it into a mac and cheese. It is strong enough to hold its own paired against other bold sauces, and it works beautifully in this dish.
Trottole Pasta in Sweet English Cheddar and Havarti Mac and cheese
Choosing the right pasta shape can make or break your mac and cheese recipe. If your pasta shape is too small, you run the risk of your dish becoming a soupy mess. If you’re a new mac and cheese chef, smaller pastas will more easily show defects in your sauce. On the other hand, If your noodles are too large, your dish will be cumbersome and difficult to eat.
In today’s recipe I used trottole. This pasta is sized perfectly between too small and too large. Plus it has plenty of ridges to hold onto sauce keeping it full of flavor.
Toppings
The right combination of toppings can take good mac and cheese to great mac and cheese. Toppings add interesting colors, flavors, and textures. In this recipe I added a drizzle of sriracha and a generous sprinkle of mini croutons. They add a punch of spiciness and a crunchy texture.
Reheating Sweet English Cheddar and Havarti Mac and cheese
Mac and cheese is notoriously difficult to reheat. However, roux-based mac and cheese like this recipe reheat beautifully. A minute or two in the microwave and you’ll have a perfectly delicious lunch or second dinner. Nobody’s judging here. In fact, if you give the ingredients a day or two to mingle together in the fridge, you’ll have even better mac and cheese than when you made it.
Add a fork
The name sweet English cheddar led me to believe that this cheese would be sugary sweet, but that was not the case at all. It blended beautifully with aged havarti, sriracha, and mini croutons for a delicious, creamy mac and cheese.
Sweet English Cheddar and Havarti Mac and Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound Trottole Or other medium sized pasta
For the Sauce
- 3 tbsp Butter
- 3 tbsp Flour
- 3 cups Whole milk
- 4 oz Sweet English Cheddar Grated
- 4 oz Aged havarti Grated
- 1/2 tbsp Better than bullion Chicken flavor
- 1 tsp Ground mustard
Toppings
- Crispy onions
- sriracha
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package directions in well salted water. If you think it’s salty enough, add more.
Prepare the Sauce
- Pre heat your milk in the microwave for 45 seconds – just enough to take the chill out of it.
- Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat and let it heat until it becomes foamy.
- Mix in flour. Cook it for a minute while stirring constantly
- Slowly add warmed milk to the butter mixture 1/4 cup at a time. Whisk it continually until combined. Stir in mustard powder and Better than Bullion
- Once all of the milk is added, cook for a few minutes while whisking it. Do not let it boil. You will feel the sauce start to thicken. It’s ready for cheese when you rub a small amount between your fingers and it feels silky.
- Remove from heat and stir in your cheese until it’s melted and mixed into the sauce.
- Once the cheese is incorporated, use a cooked noodle to taste your sauce. If it doesn’t taste cheesy enough try adding a little more salt to bring out the flavor.
- Combine the pasta and sauce.
Plate Your Mac and Cheese
- Plate your pasta and add a sprinkle of crispy onions and a drizzle of sriracha sauce. Serve immediately.
